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America's tick problem, once an itchy nuisance, now looks more like a public-health failure, argues Sarah Zhang in a new piece for the Atlantic. Lyme infections have more than doubled since 2000, eight other tick-borne illnesses have been identified in that same time period, and meat allergy alpha-gal syndrome has joined the list of threats. Experts say the current "you're on your own" approach-permethrin-treated clothes, tucked-in pants, body checks-is no match for exploding tick populations and their expanding territory. "The ticks are winning," a CDC scientist warned in a recent paper. A tick researcher says "it is impossible to go hiking in most areas" where he lives on Long Island, off the coast of New York, "just because of ticks."

Zhang reports that researchers are pushing for a mosquito-style, government-backed campaign to beat ticks back at the ecological level, and that means going after their favorite host: deer. That could involve controversial deer culls, new drugs that turn deer blood into a tick-killing serum, experimental vaccines for wildlife, and targeted pesticides or fungi designed to spare pollinators. No single fix is likely, but scientists argue that the focus must shift from treating tick-borne diseases to preventing bites in the first place. For the full debate over killing deer, rethinking pesticides, and building a national tick strategy, read Zhang's full piece here.